Electrically-driven pneumatic musical instrument



H. 1. LA JOIE.

ELECTRICALLY DRIVEN PNEUMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 1, 1917.

1,329,613. Patented Feb. 3, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

PLAYE P ACT! ON KEY E351 ID WIND CHEQET PUMP ELECT HC MOTOR H. 1. LA JOIE.

ELECTRTCALLY DRIVEN PNEUMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 1. 19m.

1 32 9, 6 1 3 Patented Feb. 3, 1920.

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TO ELEcTmc M OTO R I n TO WIN 0 MOTOF? KEY BED 24, Jaw

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& wif/zdziuaaa UNITED srnrns PATENT orrion.

HERBERT J. LA JOIE, OF ORAN GE, NEXV JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO AUTOPIANO COMPANY, A

CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ELECTRIGALLY-DRIVEN PNEUMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

Application filed October 1, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERBERT J. LA J 01E, a citizen of the United States, residing at Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Electrically-Driven Pneumatic Musical Instrument, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to improve electrically driven pneumatic musical instruments. In such instruments an electric motor is provided for driving the pump which actuates the action and also a pneumaticmotor which operates the sheet propelling mechanism. A switch is provided for throwing the electric motor into and out of operation.

The pump is usually connected to a wind chest and the wind chest through a governor and valves to the pneumatic motor. When the switch is thrown to stop the action of the electric motor, there usually is a considerable quantity of air under tension in the wind chest which causes the pneumatic motor to operate for some time after the electric motor is thrown out of operation. This is disagreeable when the rewinding action is stopped for replaying certain portions of the musical composition, and is more particularly disagreeable when the device is operated from the tracker bar which is employed for automatically throwing the switch when the note sheet is completely rewound, as in this instance after the electllC motor ls-stopped the pneumatic motor will keep on in operation for some little time and the end or hook of the note sheet will .be flapped against the casing.

The object of this improvement is to overcome this disagreeable feature. To do this I arrange a valve controlling the connection from the pneumatic motor to the pump and provide means so that this valve will be operated simultaneously with the switch controlling the electric motor.

The improvement is illustrated in the accompanying two sheets of drawings.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of part of the apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a sectional diagram illustrating the connections;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 2 of the valve mechanism controlling Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented Feb. 3, 1920.

Serial No. 194,137.

the pneumatic which operates the switch,

and

Fig. at is a sectional plan showing the motor governor, the section being taken on the line 1-4 of Fig. 2.

The main parts of the apparatus are ar ranged in the ordinary manner as shown in Fig. 1 that is an electric motor is employed to drive a pump which is connected to a wind chest which connects in turn to the ends of the player action. The'wind chest also is connected to a motor governor which is connected by a pipe to a pneumatic motor which operates the note sheet propelling mechanism. is preferably controlled through a rheostat and the motor is thrown into and out of operation by an electric switch.

On the under side of the key-bed is arranged a rod having a button at its end which rod has an arm operating the electric switch. The end of the rod is connected to a pneumatic 12. An opening 10 in the tracker bar is connected to a diaphragm controlling a valve 110 which controls the flow of air from or into the pneumatic 12. These parts are arranged so that when the note sheet is rewound the aperture 10 will be uncovered and the pnelunatic 12 connected to The speed of the electric motor the wind chest and operated to throw the This motor.

opening 20 around the valve 19 out through opening 21 into the connection to the wind chest. The valve 19 is arranged as ordinarily so that when it is pushed to the left the passage 21 will be closed and then the air will have to flow out from the opening 20 through the onenin 23 into the passage 18 the opening 23 being controlled by a knife valve 22 actuated by the ordinary pneumatic governor.

The parts as previously stated are shown in their re-roll position. If the rod 13 should be pulled out the electric motor would be stopped, the air permitted to flow into orifice 16 and under the valve17, which would instantly close and choke the flow of air from the pneumatic motor out through the passage 18. Thus the pneumatic motor will be thrown out of operation simultaneously with the throwing oi the electric motor out of operation.

If the parts are left in the position shown in the drawings and the note sheet is completely rewound, the orifice 10 in the tracker bar will be uncovered, which will cause the pneumatic 12 to collapse which will operate the electric switch to throw out the electric motor and simultaneously will uncover opening 16 and allow valve 17 to close and choke the flow of air from the pneumatic motor. By this arrangement, when the electric motor is stopped to stop the re-roll either by manipulation of the rod 13 or by the automatic operation obtained from the tracker bar, the pneumatic motor will be stopped simultaneously with the stopping of the elec@ tric motor, and the rewinding of the note sheet will be instantly stopped, thus the note sheet can be accurately stopped at any position of its backward travel, and the rewinding will be automatically stopped when the note sheet has been completely rewound and the disagreeable flapping common with most instruments will be eliminated.

Details and arrangements herein shown and described may be greatly varied by a skilled mechanic without departing from the scope of my invention as expressed in the claims.

Having thus fully described my invenpneumatic motor to the pump,

tion, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In an electrically driven pneumatic musical instrument, the combination of an electric motor, a switch for throwing the same into and out of operation, a pump driven by the electric motor, a note sheet propelling apparatus, a pneumatic motor for driving the same, a connection from the p a valve in this connection, a diaphragm controlling the valve, a secondary valve controlling the first named valve, and means for simultaneously operating the switch and the secondary valve so that the electric motor and the pneumatic motor will be simultaneously thrown out of operation.

'2. In an electrically driven pneumatic musical instrument, the combination of an electric motor, a pump driven thereby, a wind chest and player action connected to the pump, a note sheet propelling apparatus, a pneumatic motor for driving the same. a connection from the pneumatic motor to the pump, a switch for throwing the electric motor into and out of operation, manual means for operating said switch to stop the motor, means for operating the switch controlled from a tracker opening so that when the note sheet is rewound the electric motor will be cut out of operation, and connections effective when the electric motor is thrown out of operation either manually or automatically to simultaneously shut ofi said. pneumatic motor from its exhaust connec tion.

In testimony whereof I fixed my signature.

HERBERT J. LA J OIE.

have hereunto at- 

